The invention relates to devices and methods for filling the space which has been vacated by the removal of an eyeball or portions thereof from a deceased person for purposes of scientific research or transplant to a living person.
Many persons elect to donate particular organs for scientific research or transplant upon death. Various parts of the human eye can be removed from a deceased persons body to benefit scientific research or to replace damaged or defective components of a living persons eye. In some states, the deceased person's entire eyeball is removed from the eyesocket by a technician authorized to perform such procedures. This procedure is known as an enucleation. In other states, the technician will perform what is referred to as an in situ excision, which is the removal of the cornea from the eyeball. The cornea is the clear covering over the colored portion at the front of the eyeball. In such a procedure the technician makes a circular incision a few millimeters outside of the perimeter of the cornea and peals off the cornea and leaves the rest of the eyeball in place within the eye socket. The cornea is then preserved in a solution for later transplant or scientific research.
After an in situ excision, an embalmer will typically remove the sac of fluid from the center of the eyeball which has been exposed by removal of the cornea. Removal of the fluid sac prevents the fluid from seeping out of the eye at a later time. The white portion of the eyeball which remains in the eyesocket is not rigid, and since it is no longer supported by the sac of fluid, the white portion of the eyeball will not retain its previous rounded shape but will generally collapse. A collapsed eyeball will make the deceased person's eyes look generally sunken and unnatural after the eyelids are closed. It is general practice for the embalmer to replace this fluid sac with embalming materials in order to support the collapsed eyeball and to thereby create a natural look when the eyelids of the deceased are closed. It is typical practice within the industry for the embalmer to fill the space within the eyeball with embalming clay, cotton or gauze. This process can be a relatively delicate task, and can therefore be relatively time consuming.
Out of respect for the deceased, it is the general practice within states that remove the entire eyeball from the deceased's eyesocket to fill the vacant space within the eyesocket. If the eyesocket is not filled after removal of the eyeball, the eyelid will appear sunken and unnatural. Therefore, filling the eyesocket also gives the deceased person's body a natural appearance. It is general practice within the industry to fill the vacated eyesocket with embalming clay, gauze or cotton. Typically the embalmer will wad up an amount of cotton or gauze and place it in the eyesocket, and then place clay within the eyesocket and form it to the general size and shape of the removed eyeball. Therefore the embalmer must mold the gauze or clay into the shape of an eyeball each time an eyeball is harvested. It is often difficult for the embalmer to replicate the shape of the removed eyeball, and the embalmer often spends an undesirably large amount of time working the clay or gauze into the shape and size of the removed eyeball. Once the gauze or clay has been properly shaped, the embalmer places a small cap over the clay and gauze. The cap has small upstanding spikes punched in it which serve to engage the inner surface of the eyelid for securely holding the eyelid in a closed position.
In the past, technicians have also replaced the removed eyeball with other structures such as a marble or a ball bearing. However, if the marble or ball bearing does not have the general size and shape of the removed eyeball, the deceased person will not have a natural look after implantation. Although the eyeballs of mature adult humans tend to be relatively similar in size and shape, some people have eyeballs which are slightly smaller or larger than the average. The human eyeball grows to its mature full size generally by the time the person reaches pre-pubescence at about the age of 11, and therefore it is common for young persons below the age of 11 to have eyeballs smaller than the average adult. If the marble or ball bearing which is used to fill the vacant eyesocket is too small, the technician must take the additional steps of inserting clay and gauze or cotton to further fill the eye socket. If the marble or ball bearing is too large it may not fit into the eyesocket or may yield an unnatural appearance. Therefore, a technician would be required to locate a ball bearing or marble which matches the particular size of the removed eyeball. Once the technician has properly filled the eyesocket with a ball bearing or marble, he then inserts the spiked cap in an attempt to hold the eyelids closed. But if the cap is placed directly against the marble or ball bearing the cap may slide around and not retain the eyelid in a closed position.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a method and mechanism which allows a technician to quickly and easily fill the space vacated by removal of the cornea, fluid sac or entire eyeball of a deceased. It would be desirable for such a mechanism to give the deceased a natural appearance. When an entire eyeball is removed from the deceased, it would be desirable to eliminate the need for an embalmer or technician to form a prosthetic eyeball out of gauze, clay or cotton each time an eyeball is harvested. It would be desirable for such a method and structure to result in the eyelid of the deceased being securely held in a closed position. It would also be desirable to provide a method and mechanism which is adapted to easily replace a variety of different sizes of eyeballs. It would also be desirable to provide a mechanism which allows an embalmer to more easily fill the space vacated at the center of an eyeball when the fluid sac has been removed after an in situ excision.